Haydn's "Farewell" symphony and the idea of classical style : through-composition and cyclic integration in his instrumental music / James Webster.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Webster, James, 1942- author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in music theory and analysis ; 1.

Cambridge studies in music theory and analysis ; 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809. Symphonies--H. I, 45--F♯ minor.

Haydn, Joseph.

Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809. Instrumental music.

Symphony--18th century.

Symphony.

Instrumental music--18th century--History and criticism.

Instrumental music.

Classicism in music.

Cyclic form (Music).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (402 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st pbk. ed.

Other Title:

Haydn's 'Farewell' Symphony & the Idea of Classical Style

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This volume offers a new view of Joseph Haydn's instrumental music. It argues that many of Haydn's greatest and most characteristic instrumental works are 'through-composed' in the sense that their several movements are bound together into a cycle. This cyclic integration is articulated, among other ways, by the 'progressive' form of individual movements, structural and gestural links between the movements, and extramusical associations. Central to the study is a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the 'Farewell' Symphony, No. 45 in F sharp minor (1772). The analysis is distinguished by its systematic use of different methods (Toveyan formalism, Schenkerian voice leading, Schoenbergian developing variation) to elucidate the work's overall coherence. The work's unique musical processes, in turn, suggest an interpretation of the entire piece (not merely the famous 'farewell' finale) in terms of the familiar programmatic story of the musicians' wish to leave Castle Eszterhaza. In a book which relates systematically the results of analysis and interpretation, Professor Webster challenges the concept of 'classical style' which, he argues has distorted our understanding of Haydn's development, and he stresses the need for a greater appreciation of Haydn's early music and of his stature as Beethoven's equal.

Contents:

Part I : The Farewell Symphony. The construction of the whole ; Instability ; Resolution ; The program

Part II : Cyclic organization in Haydn's instrumental music. Progressive form and the rhetoric of instability ; Integration of the cycle ; Extramusical associations ; Individual compositions

Historiographical conclusion : Haydn's maturity and "Classical style."

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 375-389) and index.

ISBN:

9781139085151

1139085158

9780511552434

0511552432

Publisher Number:

2027/heb05567 hdl